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Monday, May 2, 2016

AGAINST ALL…FLAWS

By
Sheri
Wren Haymore

In the most memorable stories, the protagonist gets
what he desires against all odds. Despite evil forces, or society, or
cataclysmic misunderstanding, or the gears sticking in the time
machine—whatever the opposition, he overcomes the odds.

I
propose that the most interesting characters are deeply flawed and become
heroes in spite of their flaws and
against all odds. In fact, it’s the protagonist’s imperfections, more than
whatever admirable traits the author may bestow on him, that draw us into the
story, make us curious to know how it’s all going to play out. We want to know
how he’s going to overcome his flaws in order to reach his goal.

We want to
believe in redemption.

So how does an author craft a flawed
character without creating a caricature? Just as you get to know a friend the
longer you do life with her, so your character will reveal herself by her
dialogue, her actions, and especially her reactions to the events in her story.
In fact, it’s when you, the writer, peel back her reactions that you get at her
flaws. And when you unveil the ugliness of her flaws, then you can discover the
story she really wants to tell.

Recently I read a novel that I liked in
which the main character habitually wakes up hungover; so far, a flat
character. A tragedy is revealed to
explain his four-year binge; more dimension. As the story deepens and the guy
reacts to events—with kindness, then cynicism, then inexplicable rage—now we
get at the heart of his problem. He feels responsible for the tragedy. Guilt is
one of the ugliest flaws of all, and it was up to that author to birth the
character’s heroism out of that very flaw.

Allow me to use my own novel, A Higher Voice, as an example.I stitched together a likeable
character in rock legend Britt Jordan—quirky and funny, creative and kind—and
then I began to unravel him. Britt has a ragged past and more than a few
secrets; no surprise for a rock star, but a particular dark memory torments
him. He reacts to each new disaster with inordinate desperation to make things
right. Here was my quandary: I liked this character too much. I had to walk
away from the manuscript for a while before I could get up the nerve to do what
I knew I must. Finally I ripped him open and penned such an appalling act of
arrogance that he seems beyond redemption. In fact, a reader admitted that she
closed the book when she learned how heinous his secret was. And yet it’s out
of that arrogant flaw that the breathtaking humility of his heroism emerges and
finds significance.

It takes guts to create a believable
flawed character and then draw meaning from his story. But you’ve got this,
fellow authors, and I look forward to your next stories!

_____________________________________________________

Sheri Wren Haymore is the author of two
novels so far,A
Higher VoiceandA
Deeper Cut.Sheri grew up in
Mt. Airy, NC, and still lives thereabouts with her husband and a pup named
Cercie. Together, they've made a living running a couple of small business, and
made a life doing the things they enjoy--traveling, hiking, camping, kayaking.
Sheri loves music and yoga, inventing gourmet meals from random ingredients,
laughing with friends, and most especially spending time with her daughter. A
graduate of High Point University, she has burned more pages than most people
will ever write, and is currently scribbling a third novel, which may or may
not survive the flames.My social
media links arehttp://www.sheriwrenhaymore.com/http://www.facebook.com/sheriwrenhaymorehttp://www.twitter.com/sheriwrenauthor (@sheriwrenauthor)

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